2016 politics year in review: Trump, Hillary, Trump

Well, 2016 is almost over and it won't soon be forgotten because of this man. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Certainly 2016 has been the Year of Politics, pulling in even those who hold their noses and plug their ears any other time, requiring even the most uninterested parties to enter the conversation.

For better or for worse, social media played a big role in getting people interested in politics and giving them a voice, especially for those who perennially complain their "vote doesn't count."

Whether you're happy or not with the results of this year's elections, it was one for the books. It dominated all sorts of media outlets, even those not typically dedicated to politics. One couldn't avoid it.

And so, let's look back on what we saw this year.

Donald Trump had entered the race the previous year, ultimately competing against 16 other Republicans. The Huffington Post refused to cover his campaign in the news section, instead relegating him to entertainment and calling his campaign "a sideshow." It was one of the first indications that much of the media didn't take him seriously, let alone cover his campaign fairly or understand his appeal to average voters.

His meteoric rise throughout the campaign this year, winning primary after primary, all the while getting negative attention for his off-color remarks, particularly on Twitter, led him to winning the Republican nomination at the convention in July in Cleveland, which this reporter attended.

The following week, Hillary Clinton bested Bernie Sanders at the DNC in Philadelphia, prompting Sanders delegates and supporters to stage a walk-out in protest.

Shock was the name of the game among Clinton supporters and other Trump critics when he responded to a question about accepting the results of the election, saying he would evaluate them at the time.

But in the more than one month since his victory, there have been protests, calls for recounts, for electors not to honor their duties, blaming Russia and the CIA for the results. It has certainly been a heated year, where pragmatism has been overcome by emotion.

Locally, Staten Islanders showed just how much they mirrored much of the rest of the country in their support for Trump.

Republicans gave him 82 percent of their vote in the primary and voters in all parties in the borough gave him 56 percent in the general election.

Trump and Clinton came to Staten Island on the same day, two days before the New York primary, speaking directly to their supporters, elated to catch a glimpse of their candidates.

John Sollazzo, AKA Mr. Democrat, didn't disappoint with his loud support for the former secretary of state, driving around his Democrat-mobile even after it was vandalized.

Sam Pirozzolo offered his lawn as a posting point for an enormous "T" sculpture created by patriotic artist Scott LoBaido. That too was subjected to vandalism, in this case, arson.

SMALL SPOTLIGHT ON LOCAL RACES

Both the nature of the presidential race and the fact that almost all the local incumbents ran unopposed for re-election meant far less to cover in the news.

Rep. Daniel Donovan, a Republican district attorney who won his seat in Congress in a May 2015 special election, succeeded in keeping his seat after a challenge from little-known Democrat Richard Reichard.